June Releases

I'm so looking forward to this new release. I have two reproduction samplers that I've been working on and they are ready to ship next week. I just need to get the final cover photos taken and get a newsletter email off to my list of needlework shops. If your shop wants this info, please message me. 

The first is Strawberry Sampler.  This early 1800s sampler was stitched by Eliza Clunes, age 12.  

I loved the bright colors she chose to stitch with and the fun motifs at the bottom of her sampler.  I stitched the sampler in Needlepoint Inc. Silks on Legacy from Picture This Plus. The adaptation pieces are stitched with the Weeks Dye Works hand dyed cotton conversion. Hopefully this helps you choose which threads you want to stitch with. 

The sampler includes Smyrna Crosses and Eyelet stitches. Bonus, the Eyelet alphabet only has 22 letters. 

This is a sweet little drum that highlights the strawberry border.

I pulled different parts from Eliza's sampler and made a needlebook. This could easily be stitched into two squares and put on the front and back of a small stitching bag.

I added a scissor pocket and a wool piece for needles and pins. The trims are by Lady Dot Creates.

Alice Harris 1835 has a completely different color palette and style. There is some over one stitching in one row of letters, the verse, and her personalization. The deer are over one also, but I found if I stitched the outline and the legs in full crosses then I could fill in the body with a tent stitch. This method went quite quickly.  There are some fun vertical half cross stitches in the middle band of flowers. 

 By switching between the border and the verse this was quite enjoyable to stitch. The sampler is stitched with Sampler Threads from the Gentle Art. There is a full Needlepoint Inc. Silks conversion and I pulled parts together to make the small framed piece so I could stitch with the Silks. It is designed to go off the sides of the frame, but would make a sweet pillow too. The sampler is stitched on Beige linen from Weeks Dye Works. The small framed piece and the drum are stitched on Bramble from Picture This Plus.

On Alice's sampler she had stitched something that looked like scary moths, or flying lobsters. I decided to design butterflies to replace them with, but the chart does include a graph for her original moths so you get to choose what to put in your version of Alice's sampler.

 I thought the bottom part would make a perfect drum, So I rearranged things a bit, chose a new color palette in Weeks Dye Works and stitched a drum. I really didn't want to stitch the deer again, so they are missing from the drum. 

This has been such a fun project to work on. And I'm so excited to get started charting a third reproduction sampler that arrived last week.  It is amazing.  

I will get more details out to needlework shops this week, so you can begin contacting them for pre-orders.

Happy Stitching, Wendy

It's Summer!

The calendar says Summer is coming, but here in SE Idaho it is a rainy gloomy day. My tomato and pepper plants haven't made it out to the garden yet, but that doesn't mean I can't start stitching for summer.  So many of you enjoyed the It's Spring! free chart so here is It's Summer! 

It's Summer! Free Chart

I hope you are all doing well and finding time to stitch.  I have two reproduction samplers that are getting framed this week. There are also some antique sampler adaption pieces that will be included along with the samplers. I cannot wait to share these with you, so stay tuned to Instagram or Facebook this week for peeks.

Facebook: @needleartbywendy

Instagram: @stitchingfromtheheart and @wendypeatross

Happy Stitching,  Wendy

Monthly Squared

It's time to switch out the Monthly Squared frame to May.  Which is a pretty easy job. I bought a ready made five inch square frame at Hobby Lobby. While I was there, I bought a large piece of foam board and had them cut 12 squares to size so I could mount each of them when I was finished stitching them.  

Here are all 12 of them pictured together.  These are all available individually for your Needlework Shop to order direct from me or Hoffman Distributing.
You can see how I've finished the backs of them here. On my Instagram: @wendypeatross, you can see a little framing tutorial in my highlights.

And the back pops oven easy so you can switch them out monthly.

They are compact and easy to store.

I hope your May is off to a good start, and if your Maynia Stitching is going well.  I think I will be designing a new chart each week for Maynia.

Happy Stitching, Wendy